Mud
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Jackie has a mishap in the mud which results in some fodder for the station rumourmill...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: _Finally_ managed to finish the story I have been working on in regards to the prompt: 'Mud.' Hope you like :)  
>PS: Apologies for the highly unimaginative title!<br>**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**Mud**_

Michael snickered as he watched Jackie make her way towards the crime scene. Not usually an amusing sight, but the heels she was wearing clearly did not agree with the mud.

He smothered another grin as she took another step and her heel sunk once more. He quickly turned his attention back to Stephen before she caught him laughing at her.

Jackie's yelp of pain and surprise caught the attention of both men and they turned to find her sitting on her backside in the mud.

It was Stephen's turn to snicker as Michael bounded over to her without a second thought.

"Are you all right?" Michael asked, crouching down beside her.

"Do I look all right?" she demanded, she looked down at her feet and frowned, "My heel is broken."

"What?" Michael exclaimed, looking down. He was relieved to find that she was talking about her ruined footwear, rather than her actual heel.

"Do you think you can walk?" he asked, amused.

"This isn't funny Michael," she insisted.

"Of course it isn't," he agreed, trying valiantly to suppress his grin.

"Help me up," she ordered, still looking a little put out.

Michael wisely did as he was bid, Jackie let out a small hiss of pain as she put her weight on the foot with the broken heel.

"Come on," Michael said decisively as he swept her up in his arms.

"Michael! What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Taking you back to the car," he replied calmly.

"People are staring," she told him.

"Well they wouldn't be if you calmed down," he told her smoothly.

She glared at him, "Michael, what will they _think_?" she whispered.

"That you're a very lucky woman," he whispered back without missing a beat, looking a little too gleeful for Jackie's liking.

"Michael!"

"Relax, Jackie, there have been rumours about us before," he told her reasonably, "at least this time it will be true," he added, with a mischievous gleam.

Jackie favoured him with a mock glare before regarding him with a mischievous gleam of her own. Michael noticed and was about to comment when Jackie suddenly kissed him on the cheek.

Michael almost dropped her.

"Might as well give them their money's worth," she said, smiling at his dumbfounded expression.

Michael gave her a bemused look: he'd get her for that later.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This one is based off a line in the _Blackadder_ Series 2 episode "Potato" which is included in this...**

"So how was the 'strategy' meeting?" Robbie asked as Michael came to join him and Stuart in the canteen.

"_Stimulating_ as always," Michael replied sarcastically making the other two detectives snicker.

"Aw, did you miss us Mike?" Robbie teased.

"Sadly, yes," Michael replied dryly.

"Did you miss me, Michael?" Jackie asked, coming back to the table and catching the tail end of their conversation.

She missed the wicked gleam in his eye as he saw his opportunity and he took her hand in both of his, turning in his seat so that he could look her in the eye.

"Jackie, life without you was like a broken pencil," he told her seriously.

Jackie looked torn between curiosity and surprise, curiosity won out: "Explain?" she asked, ashamed of how her voice sounded a little breathless.

The canteen suddenly went deathly quiet as all those who hadn't been watching them before, suddenly stopped what they were doing.

"Pointless," Michael said simply, kissing her hand as the canteen suddenly erupted into whispered conversations, all revolving around what they had just witnessed.

Jackie caught Michael's suppressed smirk and threw a napkin at him as he started to laugh. "You are terrible," she admonished him as she sat down.

"All part of the charm," he replied easily.

Jackie muttered something under her breath as she took a sip of her coffee, causing Michael to chuckle again.

"I hate you," she told him, this time making Robbie and Stuart snicker.

"I know," he replied, "but it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Call it payback for kissing me."

"That was two weeks ago!" she protested.

Michael shrugged, "I have a long memory."

"What are you? An elephant?" she grumbled.

Michael laughed before leaning in closer, "Well, who could forget our first kiss?" he asked, his voice low enough so only she could hear.

She looked at him in shock and he winked at her.

"Maybe next time it won't just be on the cheek," she whispered back after a moment, causing him to choke on his coffee.

Jackie smirked to herself: Jackie 2, Michael 1.


End file.
